I See Her Reflection in You
by Koji
Summary: The memory of Coral had been lingering in Marlin's soul since her death. He begins to see Dory for more than he thought of her at first. When Marlin is forced to face a threatening ordeal, even Dory seems to doubt his feelings for her...Dorlin
1. Get Out Of My Life!

Finding Nemo; I See Her Reflection in You  
  
By Koji  
  
Disclaimer: *sign* ok.characters of Finding Nemo are obviously copyrighted to Disney & Pixar Studio, heh. The only thing I own is the lame story line and the scene arts (if I draw any) to this fanfic... simple? ~_'  
  
Author's note: Yes, I know, and before you say anything..it's probably been written before and there are probably TONS of fanfics like this...oooooorrrrr am I trying to fool you? *grins* Well, it's been awhile and I couldn't resist. I just HAD to write this fanfic! The inspiration is credited to all Mario, Finding Nemo and other fanfics I read. ^________^ *waves to Robin and Jes* By the way, I'll also post this on the Finding Nemo board. Now I really do hope, no one has written this yet. Cause I stayed up all night to get this right. _ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 1; Get Out of My Life!  
  
The sun light above the ocean water shone brightly into the depths of the beautiful Australian coral reefs. An all too familiar regal blue tang leisurely swam by a drop-off. As horrible as her memory was, for some particular reason she could remember things much better when she was near a certain clownfish. She was headed toward Marlin and Nemo's anemone, because today was the day they would leave for the "beach", an exotic spot for the perfect summer vacation. She smiled at the thought of Marlin. He was such a funny fish to be around with, although he was quite unfunny for a clownfish. Still, she couldn't help but grow a liking to him.  
  
"Just keep on swimming, swimming, swimming..," Dory sang in her usual cheerful voice. "Oh what do we do? We just keep on swimming..." A school of young fish swam past her, feverishly shouting with joy.  
  
"YAY! SCHOOL'S OUT!!!"  
  
"VACTION TIME!"  
  
"WOO-HOO!!"  
  
"I'M GONNA GO-"  
  
"Whoo..fishies..!!" she paused, watching the school-free fish until they were out of her sight. Then, she pressed her fins against her head, as if she was thinking very hard. "I have this feeling I am supposed to be somewhere..hmmm." Dory shrugged it off and continued swimming.  
  
She swam aimlessly for some time, singing, until she happened to pass by her friend's home. "Hey! I'll just drop by Marlin for a visit!" she smiled and happily swam toward the anemone. "HEY MARLIN!" she greeted. But her smile was soon replaced with a frown, because what she saw before her was something she'd never thought to see.  
  
"Dad! What are you doing?!" a young voice pleaded. The petite figure of Nemo swam hurryingly out of the anemone. Nemo turned around and looked at him, thinking how this couldn't be happening.  
  
"Get out! NOW!!" a deeper voice, which Dory immediately recognized, boomed." I don't want to see you here!!"  
  
"Marlin?!" She asked more to herself than to him. She swam closer to the poisonous home of her dear friend, but kept a distance from what appeared to be a "family fight."  
  
Nemo's "lucky-fin", his handicapped right fin which he paid for his life before his birth, fluttered with high speed and so was this feeling that floated in his stomach. He blankly stared at his father in disbelief. He floated there in the open outside of his home, confused, and simply frozen out of shock. "Dad?" Nemo repeated with hurt and fragileness in his voice.  
  
"I said! LEAVE!!" Marlin shouted clearly exasperated by the fact that Nemo was still there. Seeing how Nemo didn't move from his spot, Marlin swam back into the anemone, giving his son one last glare. A threatening look Nemo read as, "Don't you dare come back in!!"  
  
Dory quickly swam up to Nemo and held him in her fins, because his tears were already flowing free from his eyes. "There.there," she carefully brushed her fins over the small clownfish. "It's alright," she whispered. Nemo gripped Dory like there was no tomorrow, how could he not?! His father had just kicked him out of his home! Sure, something must've happened to make Marlin this mad. But even then, even if Nemo had done something unforgivable, he would never have gone this far as to set out his only son! Whether if this fish was an adult or still a child. "I'm gonna talk to your Dad, okay? You go and stay with Gill." Dory released Nemo and gave him an assuring smile. He sniffed like a child normally did. "It'll be okay." Dory said once again and swam in front of the poisonous anemone.  
  
'That's..strange..Marlin would never do such a cruel thing to anybody, much less to his own and only son.' She told herself, '..never.,' she awaited her friend to come out. "Marlin? Marlin, it's me...Dory" she added, hoping he would answer.  
  
The clownfish came out of the anemone and upon seeing Dory's face his own face showed a sign of surprise, but then became firmly strict. "What do YOU want?" Marlin questioned her like she didn't know him, like she was a wanderer of nuisance. He seemed annoyed by her presence, but Dory shrugged off the weary feeling and dared to ask.  
  
"What...I mean..did Nemo-?"  
  
"Dory.." he began while looking at her.  
  
"Ye-yes?" she replied a little shaky. Marlin waited for a while, thinking what to say. "I'm glad you suffer from short-term memory," He threw an acid look, "because right now, it would've been better for you to not have come here in the first place."  
  
'Huh? What?' were the words that rushed through Dory's mind. "Marlin...y- you...what do you--?"  
  
"Listen. I don't know you! And I don't plan on seeing someone who can't even remember to stick to her own kind!" Those words struck her like a lethal harpoon.  
  
"What about--," she remembered instantly," Nemo? What about Nemo?"  
  
"Stay out of that!! That has nothing to do with a forgetful fish like you! " he retorted.  
  
Speechless..Dory was just as wordless as Nemo was a moment ago. Had these words come out of his mouth? Did Marlin say he didn't care about Nemo? Did he tell her he doesn't want to see her anymore? Did he just cut her out of his life?  
  
"Honey? Who's there?" Dory's trance was broken by the voice of another female coming from behind the anemone's tentacles.  
  
"Oh? Who's that?" the same voice asked in a way like she didn't even want to know who it was. Her "question" made Dory sound unimportant. Dory looked up and saw an unfamiliar clownfish swimming up to Marlin. She was awfully close to him...a little too close to him to Dory's liking.  
  
"Wh-who's this, Marl--?"  
  
"Marlin-dear, I think you shouldn't be flirting with other females, especially when they aren't even the same species." She teased him with her tail, obviously making Dory feel left out and maybe even jealous.  
  
"Well, who is she?" the female clownfish asked, awaiting an answer.  
  
After a moment of silence Marlin idly mumbled, "Nobody. Just a fish who helped me find-," Marlin stopped before finishing, "just..someone I used to know.." and began swimming back into his anemone.  
  
The female clownfish and Dory watched him leave. 'Is this all I am to you, Marlin?' Dory thought, 'Just a fish?! Just a tang, who stayed with you--- all the way on your journey to Sydney to rescue your son?!?'  
  
"Are you sure, you don't seem very convincing to me, Marlin-dear.' The female wailed, not believing him and swam after him.  
  
"I don't know her." He replied coldly and didn't even bother looking back at Dory before he disappeared into the anemone.  
  
Dory was floating there alone in the open reef of the ocean. Her expression was like that of a lost child within a dense forest. She didn't know what is going on and before she knew, tears streamed out of her heart-broken eyes. She didn't know why. She didn't even realize her fin touched her cheek until she felt a tear drop on it.  
  
Every memory she could still grasp was slowly fading away. It was an all too familiar, yet hatful habit. But she knew one thing for certain. Something dearly close to her had just collapsed within her. What was it? What could it possibly be?! "Wha-?" She can't remember?! Dory stared at her fins, then to her body, then at her surroundings and then back to her fins."Where---where am I?" she blankly mumbled to no one. She couldn't hold it anymore. She swam off to who-knew where. It didn't matter to her. She just wanted to get away from there...away from him...  
  
When the sun finally set and the night was high, his face poked out of his home and emotionlessly starred into the open ocean. A wave of grieving guilt washed over him "I can't bear it..." he whispered to no one but to the empty waters of the Great Barrier Reef.  
  
"I just can't... .....Coral..."  
  
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	2. YOU MURDER!

Finding Nemo;

I See Her Reflection in You

By Koji

Disclaimer:            see chapter 1

Author's note:       I know it's very "un-Disney" or "un-Pixar"-ish, but, stick with me okies? I'm having fun writing this! Now allow me to lead you on. ~_^

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Chapter 2; YOU MURDER!!!

"WHAT IN TRITON"S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!" Gill forcefully shoved Marlin's face against the ocean floor. The clownfish struggled against the Moorish Idol. He kicked his tail fiercely, but Gill held him firmly down. The tank gang watched in horror as their leader and Marlin were tackling and hollering each other at the same time.

"Gill? I think you're overdoing it," said Peach the starfish, while the rest of the tank gang tried to break up the fight.

"Yeah, Gill, it's ok—"

"It's NOT ok!!!" Gill retorted. "How is anything ok when Sharkbait-- "

"HIS NAME IS NEMO!" Marlin interrupted. Gill suddenly slammed Marlin against a rock and held his left fin against the clownfish's chin. For a second, everything froze. Gurgle was biting his fins, Bloat was constantly in-and-exhaling his spiky body, Deb covered Flo's face, and Bubbles….he just floated there, somehow regretting that he told Gill. 

'How can this be happening? As soon as we heard the news about what Marlin did, and then about Nemo—Gill, he--he simply lost it!' Bubbles pressed his fins against his head. 

Nobody dared to intervene. Even a group of fish had circled around them like this spectacle was some kind of a school fight. Marlin had their leader's full attention. Gill couldn't believe how he was acting now, but he refused to sit back and allow Marlin to behave like an insensitive father as he is now. 

Both where breathing hard and Gill felt somewhat annoyed, even disgusted by Marlin's face. He read his expression as amusement. Marlin was ……amused? Amused of what!? Anger was rising in him. Gill rammed his body against Marlin's. 'Is Marlin actually enjoying this? Enjoying how he hurt Nemo and Dory's feelings?!' He raised his bad fin, about to hit him. 'Does he actually think it's funny how he is now being caught up with me!?' "Why would YOU care whether his name is Nemo or Sharkbait?!" The Moorish Idol yelled. 

Marlin didn't answer. He intensively kept his eyes on Gill, a look of indifference in his face. Gill had to say something, something that would….hurt him. "Oh! Because he's your son?! Is that what you were going to say?!" he reasoned cynically. "The son, whom YOU kicked out of your home?!" Gill added sarcastically. 

Still, to Gill his verbal attack didn't change Marlin's insensitive expression. But to Peach, she could've sworn to have seen a sudden jump of hurt in Marlin's face. "I don't have the slightest idea what has gotten into you, but I would have never thought," Gill shook his head in utter disbelief, "you would go this far—" Bubbled plugged his ears, he didn't want to remember what he had witnessed from a far, and how totally helpless he was. 

~*~*The night before*~*~

Dory assured Nemo that "It'll be alright." Marlin must've been in a bad mood or perhaps it just wasn't his day. "Maybe that's why he was acting strange." It was already dark when Nemo was on his way to Gill, after all Dory did suggest him to stay with him until she would come back and probably say that Marlin was just joking around, and tried to make Nemo a little more independent. "Yes! That must be it! It's just a test of courage!" he chirped.  But then again, Nemo was still too young to take care of himself. On top of that, he had a bad fin, which was crucial for his survival if he intended on escaping a predator. And with such a protective father like Marlin, would he have actually done that? 

Nemo bumped into a medium sized sea plant and sneezed due to the powdery spores it released. It made Nemo feel woozy for a moment, but he continued swimming. "He's just trying to help…he doesn't hate me…does he?" Nemo couldn't ignore the stinging feeling he felt when he father threw him out. He could hear his dad's hollering voice booming in his head when he left the anemone. "He doesn't want to see me?" Nemo asked himself. 

Bubbles, the yellow tang happen to go for a walk when he noticed Nemo floating some feet above him. The small clownfish didn't even realize he had strayed off course and was no longer heading toward Gill's home. He was in the open water, and had just become an easy prey. "Oh no! I gotta get back down!!" he reminded himself. 

"Hi Nemo!" Bubbles called out to him, but not loud enough for him to hear. 

It was already too dark to see anything, but when Nemo was about to swim back down among the corals, he noticed a familiar clownfish between the rocks. "Dad?" The clownfish looked up to him and Nemo immediately recognized him, or so he thought. "Dad!" he yelled and quickly swam toward the clownfish only to be caught in something pink. Suddenly a wave of electricity shot up Nemo's body. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" he yelled out in pain. Bubbles was startled when he noticed a group of jellyfish surrounding the little clownfish and greedily wrapped him around their poisonous tentacles. Although clownfish were immune to poisonous stings, Nemo hadn't brushed enough against his anemone to keep this immunity. He felt numb, even having a hard time to breathe for water.  

"Nemo!" Bubbles knew how dangerous jellyfish were, but he put his fears aside and dashed toward Nemo to rescue him, only to be caught up in a strong current. "What's this?!" Water started rushing against Bubbles, he was swimming, but he wasn't going anywhere, in fact he was being blown away by it!

"Daddy! Help me!!" Nemo pleaded, while the jellyfish continued zapping him. Marlin just floated there, emotionlessly starring at Nemo. What was going on?! Why isn't he doing anything?! H—HE WAS DYING HERE!!! Why won't he help him!! WHY!? Bubbles frantically tried to escape the sudden current, but it was too strong and carried him away before he knew it.

"How…..how could you….?" Nemo barely muttered, a hallow tentacle wrapped around his mouth, Marlin carefully curved around the jellyfish's tentacles when he swam up to Nemo. His body was really hurting him.  His vision turned blurry, and he could barely see the fish before him. 

If the world wasn't already collapsing on Nemo, then the next thing Marlin did would forever die in him. Marlin smirked at what was happening to his son! He gave the most creepiest smile of the entire ocean! '….daddy……,' a single tear escaped Nemo's eyes before the tentacles covered them, turning everything around him dark…..

~*~*Present*~*~

 "To go as far as MUDERING YOUR OWN SON!!!!" Gill roared in exasperation. Those words have definitely reached Marlin's feelings. He broke out of Gill's grasp, horrified, while everyone plainly starred at him. Every fish the clownfish looked at stared back at him with confusion, hatred, and anger. Marlin wished he would be anywhere else but here, he turned around and swam away as fast he could. "Where do you think you're—"Gill was about to charge after him, but Peach and the rest of the gang grabbed him.

"Gill, let it go!!" Bloat yelled.

"I CAN'T!" Gill tried to reason.

"Yes! You can!" Deb pulled on Gill's tail.

"Marlin's is also affected by this!" Peach spoke up.

"Yes, he's delighted about it!" Gill flung his head, trying to break free, "HE'S A MURDER!!" 

"GILL! LISTEN!" Bubbles interrupted.

"But--Nemo!" he cried out as he slowly sank down, defeated by his own despair.

"We know, Gill! W—we..…we know….," the tang shouted in union, while the rest of the crowd departed and were now gossipingly chatting about the whole event.

"Did you see that?" one fish asked the other.

"Yeah, that was one heck of a fight!" another commented.

~*~*~*~*~

He didn't know how far or for how long he was swimming. Marlin stopped. He released a heavy sigh. He felt sick, awfully sickened by everything that was happening right now. First "she" returned, then Dory left him, and now….

"When I heard about you, Nemo…." he placed one fin against his forehead, "I just…..I just don't know what to say….I couldn't, "he closed his eyes, trying to keep the waters from running out, "…you can't be gone….," he leaned his body against a piece of coral and quietly started crying.  "….you can't be gone....not like Coral ……" His mind started playing tricks on him, because now the images his deceased wife and Nemo began haunting him.

 "…I want to see you….." Marlin stared at a small piece of blue coral. "…I really do.….."

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Are you going to ask who "you" is? Well, he's referring to 2 or maybe 3 people. You can pretty much guess who. ^_^

Phew, this is a chapter within a chapter! Wow, I'm such a creep, am I not? Evil I tell ya! But I never kill off characters--no wait! I did that once. I mean--! I'm not going to turn this into an R rated fan fic! And for a moment I didn't know what exactly to tell you guys, because I didn't know how the story should go! I hope I'm not confusing people. Don't worry, I'll tell you what's going on.  ^__^ 

Somehow this all sounds kinda stupid. It's so,….so..(what's the word?)..un-Finding Nemo-ish. (that didn't sound right)


	3. Please Don't Go away

Disclaimer:            see chapter 1 

Author's note:       …………..I've got not nothing to say……because this has GOT to be the WORST chapter I've ever written!!!! DANG it! Maybe I should adopt Zimmy's method and write everything while I can still remember.  ^_~

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Chapter 3; Please Don't Go Away…..

She was aimlessly swimming among the rocks near the edge of the coral reef. 

"Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…" she idly sang, trying to keep her mind from remembering. Was it really a good thing that her memory was erased? Maybe for once, her short-term memory served for a good purpose. Dory forget everything that happened last night, or so she thought. 

"I'm fine…how are you? " Dory greeted a starfish.

"Dory, are you sure yo-"

"I've never felt any better!" she smiled, laughing like her usual self, but then frowned the moment she turned around. Peach didn't know if she should believe her. Was Dory actually saying hello to Peach or was she trying to assure her that she was fine about the tension between her and Marlin? After all, she might have already forgotten about Marlin. "Well, I see you around. Bye!" Dory swam off. And it would've been much better if she didn't remember anything about Marlin at all….

~*~*Meanwhile*~*~

Time fly by like a ride on a manta. By the time Marlin arrived home, it was already the next day. He endured a restless night. He was tired from yesterday's argument with Gill, beaten from attacks by local fish, who despised him for his shameless act, and just frustrated. Marlin never felt this angry before. He could simply take on a shark right about now! He would just take the one responsible for all this—this curse on him and rip that body in half!!!!

"Marlin-dear!" the female clownfish happily chirped, "You're back!" she cuddled him the moment she saw him near the anemone. Marlin starred at her. She was all over him….again, and it was starting to irritate him. 

'….You.…' he hissed, gritting his teeth, trying to contain the rage inside. 'It's all because of--!!'

"Say, where have you been?" Marlin wished she wouldn't have asked him, because his mind automatically traced back to what happened the night before. He was NOT in a good mood, definitely not after he and Gill fought over—Marlin didn't want remember. He didn't want to believe the news about Nemo. 

She could sense anger rising in him. Marlin suddenly had this nagging feeling he was supposed to be somewhere else but home. And he knew too well with who he was to speak with after staring at the piece of blue coral. '….Dory….' he thought. Nevertheless he decided not to see her….for now, because he had to be here with this female clownfish. Because Nemo's murder was nothing he will ever forgive.

The female was aware she shouldn't push her question, but she insisted on knowing. "Come on, you can tell me." The female teased. Marlin briefly looked over to her. She was a little older than his deceased and loveable wife, Coral, but still younger than him. Suddenly, she embraced him and gave him a seductive look. Her sudden movement caught Marlin off-guard. She sure knew how to craze a clownfish's head around.

'What am I thinking?!" he rapidly shook in disgust, quickly pushing the female away from him. 'WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!' he grasped wide-eyed. 'I'm supposed to protect them!' he shut his eyes. 'I can't take this! I can't be doing this! Not after…..not after….!' he lost Coral to the ocean. Not after he traveled the very same ocean to rescue his only son, whom he had vowed to protect! 

"Why don't you ask this yourself?!" he retorted. "You should know the answer to that very well!!" But in the end, it was the same son, he had let to die. Marlin thought he was about to die from all the guilt. The actions he had committed kept rushing back to him. He rejected the one who remained by his side the whole time. Dory wasn't the fish he'd thought to be so close to him. At first he thought she wasn't. But--but here he was, living with another female clownfish! Wasn't there any shame?! Oh, yes. There was shame beyond his belief! He had to reject them! There was no other way! He was simply black-mailed! And if he wasn't careful enough…..it was going to cost more than his life…and it already did for Nemo.

"You know.. "she began nearing his face, obviously going for a kiss. It felt wrong. Everything was just…..wrong.

"Don't even go there, Darla!" He shouted, trying to stay away from her advancing attempts. Darla looked at him, a little disappointed. 

"What's wrong?" she asked as if she was worried. 

"Listen, I'm a single paren—"

"You used to be-"

"I don't INTEND on mating again!" Marlin warned.

 "You're still young." She taunted.

"I don't care!" Marlin yelled. As cautious as he tried to be, he refused to be controlled. "I'm not your personal property!" and turned his back to her.

"Awe Marlin-sweetie." She wailed. "You know you like me." Darla flirted as she itched closer. Marlin swam closer to the anemone's edge.

"I never confessed anything!" He was never truly loved by anyone until he met Coral. And he never did return it after she died, except when Nemo was kidnapped.

"Are you….," Marlin's face remained tense, "in love with someone else?" then his alert eyes went back to Darla.

"I want you to keep this in mind!" he snapped.  "You can do anything you want to me. But---…."

"Someone other than a clownfish?" she continued. 

'Oh no….she can't be talking about Dory!!' Marlin refused to answer out of Dory's safety and swam out of the anemone. "I'll go for a swim." He answered idly and left.

Darla watched him leave. She was aware of Marlin's secret crush and she wasn't going to hesitate. "So, this is how you like to play your games?" she whispered slyly. "Be my guess honey, but someone will lose her head tonight." The female curved a devious smirk.

"I have to find her!" Marlin rushed through the waters. "I have to find Dory!!"

~*~*Near the Edge of the Coral Reefs*~*~

Did Dory even know she was about to leave the safety of the narrow reef? Probably not, but it didn't matter. Nobody knew how she really felt. Even she didn't know the heart-broken Dory inside her. She felt depressed and it bothered her for not being able to identify the cause. 

"LOOK OUT!!!" someone shouted. *BAM!* An orange fish ram right into her and flew off into some seaweed near the reef's edge.

"Are you--are you okay?" Dory asked as she swam to him.

"Ow-------yeah I'm fi—," he cut off the moment  he saw her. "DORY!" He exclaimed and rushed toward her. But Dory swiftly swam off into the open waters, away from him like he was some kind of a weirdo. "Wait!" The fish dashed after her, zig-zagging between rocks and corals like in a speedy game of Catch. Somehow, this all seemed very nostalgic to her, as if she had done something like this before with someone.

They continued passing by each other, while she tried to avoid him and he tried to catch her.

After awhile, the female blue tang abruptly stopped and turned around to face her pursuer. "What's the matter?!" Dory threw her fins in the air. "Is the ocean not big enough for ya? Huh?! Huh?! HUH?!" she taunted, obviously annoyed by his stubborn persistence.

"Dory…" he uttered in between his breath for water. Should he be baffled about her behavior like the first time they met? Or just worried sick about her? 

"Yes? That's my name." Dory moved out of his way, surprised how this stranger knew her name. "Heeeeeeey..how do you know my name?"

"Dory…" he repeated softly, while wondering if she was joking around or if her memory lost had gotten the better of her, "don't you recognized me?" 

She looked at him for moment. Somehow, he DID seem familiar. He was an orange fish, with three white strips. Dory frowned, not knowing why. But she shrugged it off. 'I fell like I'm swimming around in circles….' Something deep within her consciousness came rushing back to her, begging her to remember."….aimlessly trying to find something, someone to guide me."

"Marlin," she winced a little at the name. "I'm Marlin." he pronounced slow enough for her to follow.

'Mar-lin?' She felt uneasy by just looking at him.

'She still can't remember, maybe it's for the best that she doesn't." He thought and shook, "No, it's not. She has to! She must remember! I'm not going through this again! I'm not going to lose someone close to me again!!' "Dory….you once told me, you didn't want to forget." What was he trying to get at? "You said you didn't want to lose your memories." Of course she didn't want to forget things, no one wants to have amnesia, unless it was for best to forget.

"If—if it wasn't for you," he strived to recall the words he once said to her." I—I never would've even made it to Sydney; to have crossed the eastern ocean to be reunited with Nemo!"

'Sydney? Nemo?' Why did these words sound so familiar? Dory felt like she was about to faint from her headache.

"Dory….I never hated you." Marlin admitted. "You're the only one left to me…so, please don't go away…." Everything came rushing back to her. That last sentence was the final trigger. It was the same plea she had once beseeched him to when she was about to lose him. But-but---

"Marlin....,"She whispered barely audible.

'She remembers! SHE REMEMBERS ME!' Marlin could jump for joy, but there wasn't any time for that. Dory's eyes quickly narrowed. Yes, she did remember him, and she also recalled what he had done to her. 

Dory swam off without a word. 'Should I be doing this?' she pondered.

"Dory! Wait! Listen to me!!" Marlin pleaded.

'The least I could do is listen to what he has to say.' She stopped, and waited for Marlin to catch up. 

She was outside the reef near the drop-off…..the exact location where Coral died….that is when a pair of hungry eyes preyed on her. 

Marlin sensed the present danger eying on them. "DORY!!!" The predator dashed out from its hiding spot, with its hungry jaw viciously snapping toward her. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Marlin slammed on his fins, rushing towards Dory, his last most important fish.

After that, everything just happened so quickly…...

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Well, at first it was really crappy, but now, it's not so bad. ^^ Ok, it's still junky, I can explain! I promised Zimmy to post this ASAP and I didn't have time-well, you know ^^o

 Got no time comments right now, g2g to sleep *zZZZZzzz* ACK! Don't hurt me!


	4. I Won't Fall to YouAgain

Finding Nemo; I See Her Reflection in You  
  
By Koji  
  
Disclaimer: see chapter 1  
  
Author's note: To the FN board members; I've been wondering why you guys review, since you already are the first to read. ^__^ Thanks, anyway. After telling Marie (i-luv-mark/MD fan) I didn't write at all in the past 3 days , she.um..well ^^o Seems like she's going to bite me!!! Lol I thought I'd switch perspectives of how the story would go. After all, it's much better than speaking in mystery and not making any sense at all. So the first half (I mean, quarter) is seen through, but not narrated by Dory. The other is Marlin's. If you haven't noticed, sometimes the cast talk/think in between their own voice. '...' is thinking and ".." is talking. Enjoy, 'cause you won't like it! And thanks to everyone who's been reading this. Your reviews mean a lot to me! ^_~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 4; I Won't Fall to You..Again  
  
~*~*~  
  
'...!!' Random words were shooting through Dory's mind at the moment of her coming death. In the blink of an eye, a great barracuda hungrily darted for her whole body, snapping its mouth that was just dying out of eager to devour her in one bite.  
  
"DORY!!!!!!!" a voice shouted. Something then hit her, shoving her to the side and away from the predator, before she was quickly grabbed and engulfed in something soft, and elastic that burned like little stinging needles.  
  
All of the sudden, her body felt numb. '..it hurts..' Whatever it was that was holding her firmly, it wasn't going to let her go. Poison was eating through her skin, followed by the swirling dizziness that shrouded her mind.  
  
"AH!!" At the same time, she could hear a fretting outcry from someone close by. "Dory!" She couldn't see anything anymore. It was pitch black, while that stinging feeling of pain wouldn't leave her. Was she dead? Had she been eaten? No, she was still breathing.at least she think she was.  
  
"Dory! Dory!" All her senses had failed, except her hearing. Dory could hear an anxious voice call her. "Get a hold of yourself! DORY!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
When Dory was pushed aside from the advancing barracuda, his body moved on its own, acting on its natural instinct. Dory was out of the danger from being eaten, however, "Oh no..!!" Marlin had not foreseen he had shoved his dear friend into a poisonous anemone below him.  
  
It took some time for Marlin to realize what was happening, that is, until the jaws of the vicious barracuda snapped for him. He barely evaded those razor sharp teeth! Dodging it by just a downward swim! The predator dashed passed him, but turned around in an instant. There was no time to react! Marlin was going to be eaten, if he wasn't going to-  
  
"DORY!!!" he shouted once more. The barracuda darted for him again with such speed, that Marlin thought he going the speed of a sea-slug! As fast as his little fins would permit, Marlin swam down toward the anemone. He was flung forward and into the poisonous plant when he dodged the predator's mouth.  
  
Marlin's clownfish body allowed him to remain in the anemone. The plant- like animal did not sting him. He wasn't going to be affected by its poison. He was safe, but what about-  
  
"Dory! Dory, where are you?!" he was nervously whipping around, when he spotted something blue in between the anemone's tentacles. "DORY!" He hurriedly yanked her out of the poisonous grasp and placed her in the center of the anemone. "A-are you alright?! Are you okay?" What kind of question was that?! 'Of course, she wasn't okay, you moron!' Marlin protectively kept Dory away from those hungry tentacles. "Dory!" he turned her around, tapping her face, "Say something! A word-a whisper-just- something!! ANYTHING!!" He wanted to see, hear, whale-sound-HECK! Any sign that would indicate she was still alive!  
  
She was silent. It felt creepy. Marlin could barely even think! 'Think Marlin! THINK!!' The barracuda ominously floated above the anemone. "Look, look, look! Where does P Sherman live?"  
  
Dory moaned, and somehow started mumbling, "P.Sherman...Wallaby..Syd-"  
  
"Yes! Yes!" Dory was alive! "That's it!!" She was still breathing! She's- suddenly the jaws of the barracuda pierced through the tentacles! 'WHAT'S THIS?!!' Weren't predators SUPPOSED to stay away anemones?! Didn't the tentacles sting it!? Luckily it did, because the fish quickly yanked its face out of the burning anemone, whipping about itself in pain.  
  
'Thank goodness!' He released a heavy sign of relief, but-'We can't stay here any longer!' the poison was slowly shriveling Dory's body. Marlin tried his best not to panic, how could he not? They were safe from the barracuda-yes, that was the positive aspect, but Dory wasn't safe against the tentacles of the anemone!  
  
Marlin greeted his teeth out of fear and frustration. "DANG IT!!" He was in a total jam, right about now. The choice was either to have both of them being eaten by that violent fish, or letting his last friend being stung to death.....  
  
"What am I going to do?!" He glanced down at Dory, at the verge of despair, while he firmly held her in his fins on the anemone floor. Minutes went by, even seconds of utter silence seemed like Death was leering on them.  
  
Marlin looked up above him, ('Are you going to let her die?') someone mentally asked. He stared into the open ocean where that deadly fish was still waiting on them to come out of that blasted anemone. ('Are you letting her die?')  
  
'.no...' Out of nowhere, the death of Coral played in his mind, '.no..'  
  
('MARLIN!!!!') the voice of his deceased wife yelled.  
  
"CORAL?!?!" he gasped wide-eyed.  
  
"Mar-," he noticed Dory barely mumbling, "-lin.." Was she trying not to forget him? Was he trying not to forget Coral? It felt awkward, so strange when Marlin carefully watched Dory.  
  
'I see her reflection. 'those words simply floated out of his mouth, 'her reflection.,' he carefully brushed her face with his fin. 'I see Coral's reflection.' "No...I won't." he let go of Dory, "I WON'T let Dory die!!" and with that, he awaited for that barracuda, that same species who killed Coral, to swim far enough from the anemone.  
  
Marlin poked his head out of the anemone, observing, and scrutinizing the environment. "There's got to be some other-A-HA!" there was a narrow tunnel not too far away from them. The clownfish timed his actions and swiftly rushed out into the open, with the blue tang firmly clutched in his fins. It didn't take much for the barracuda to notice, because the snapping sounds of its impatient jaws were heard right behind him!  
  
Somehow, probably through sheer luck, Marlin managed to evade the predator's teeth. Zig-zacking left and right in heated chase, "If I can-," while the barracuda was surely growing annoyed with its delayed dinner. "No! I WILL make it into that tunnel!!!!" The predator suddenly thrust forward, snapping with greed. The tunnel was right there! Right in front of him! He was going to make it! He and Dory were going to be safe!! ..correction, they WOULD have been safe. The barracuda was positioned in front of the tunnel!  
  
"DANG!" Marlin jolted. Obviously, this predator was a smart one, a smart one alright! "Is it me or-" or was this beast really THAT desperate on eating them? It went after them like there was no tomorrow! It waited for them to leave the anemone, it even ATTACK the anemone just to get them?! 'What's wrong with this fish!!' he shuffled backward.  
  
The barracuda leered on them, especially on Marlin. This time, it was going to taste the flesh of fish..  
  
*LOL, should I stop here? ^_~ AWE! But I'm tired! I woke up at 6AM due to a restless night of itching sleep. Yeah, I got a bug bite and it's itching like CRAZY!!!*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ok, this is enough. This was going to be longer, but since Marie is pretty much-well, how to put this? The waiting was "absolutely killing me!" like she phrased. ^^o I thought I better post this now, before she would came after me and rip my head off! Besides, I didn't want to make you all wait. ~_^ Now, I don't know if the next should be chapter 5 or chapter 4.5?  
  
I also wanna thank Lauren, Zimmy, Justin and rest of the board members for reading my fanfic. *sniff* it makes me so happy *starts crying* lol j/k ^- ^ 


	5. Life is Full of Sorrow

Finding Nemo; I See Her Reflection in You

By Koji

Disclaimer:            see chapter 1

Author's note:       ^____^ I've been relaxing for too long! Way too long! I stopped writing this after I read some other people's awesome FN fanfics. Mine seriously sucks!!! I realize how un-Finding-Nemo-like this is getting. *sigh* I always do that….geez… I'm sorry if I'm letting you down! Lol, everybody probably forgot what happened in this story. ^^o

I'm REALLY sorry about the wait, everyone!  For the sake of my simple minded brain, pretend that sea sponges smell as bad as sponges that grow in homes.  I don't know. .o Everything in italics are flashbacks that play in the speaker's mind. Okies?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5; Life is Full of Sorrow

The barracuda lunged at the exhausted clownfish, rapidly snapping for Marlin's dorsal fin. "Escape!" Dory nearly slipped out of his fins when he quickly dodged its attack. She was still unconscious due to the anemone's poison. "I'm gonna get us out of here. I promise!" He tightened his grip on her, "I gotta find another escape!!" turned and dashed off into the other direction, "A tunnel, cave, anything where we can hide!" only to be stopped dead in his tracks. Marlin slammed on his breaks, because if he hadn't, they were about to be shredded in between the teeth of another predator. "Oh, for crying out loud!!" Marlin feverously shuffled backwards. A second barracuda eagerly greeted him with its bloody teeth. 

Dory and Marlin were easy prey. They were completely defenseless against the attacks and agilities of barracudas. What chances were there if there were two of them at the same time?! "What are we!? Fishes with the word "Free Dinner" stamped on them?!" Marlin screamed in frustration. He was in a predicament once again. Things seriously didn't look up to him anymore. Dory was breathing harder, even "sweating" off cold body temperature. The anemone's poison wasn't going to stop spreading! "Dory needs medical attention, RIGHT NOW!" Those fish eating monsters did not spare them anything, even a safe shelter. Everything was out of their reach. If things haven't become drastic enough, the chances of Marlin and Dory survival just became one in a million. Two ferocious fish against two powerless reef fishes, so what were the odds?

"Tell me….," Marlin's ears picked up a faint groan. He glanced down at Dory, surprised to see her conscious, "…you still….have to," before the two barracudas initiated their attack, "tell me…."

'I know, I do, but—!' The barracudas were quickly closing in on them, "Now's really not the time!" He spun about in every direction, but no matter which way he turned, it always ended up staring into the eyes of those lethal eyes. He felt his strength fading, 'I still have to tell Dory, ' she moaned as the poison continued withering her from the inside, "Don't do this to me! Hang in there! There's still—" he couldn't help it, his thoughts simply burst out in a desperate attempt to keep her awake, "there's still something important I have to tell you!!!" 

Dory's eyes fluttered open, 'You do?,' slowly looking up to him, still feeling a little woozy, 'You really do?' 

Clownfish didn't qualify as the fastest swimmer in the ocean, but, with such speed even he didn't know he possessed, Marlin rushed toward the water surface. 'I want to stay awake, ' Dory strived to endure the pain, 'I want to know what you have to say to me,' and long enough before her short-term memory could make her forget.  'Marlin, is there something on your mind….?'

Spotting something shiny at the surface Marlin aimed for it, despite the danger of this silvery object. "I'll take the risk!" He was extremely exhausted, "Rather than letting these barracudas devour us!" 

The moment Dory slipped out from Marlin's grasp, one of the barracudas saw its chance and lunged at Dory, "AAAARRRGH!!" She screamed, immediately regaining consciousness upon being greeted by those oncoming teeth! "Sta-STAY AWAY!" she begged. 

Marlin quickly grabbed her fin, "Hold your breath!" and darted for the water surface again, with two lighting speeded barracudas on their tail. 

"WHOAAAAA!!!" Dory cried out in terror as they shot out of the water and into the air above the ocean surface. She was wide awake, so were her eyes, the moment the barracuda emerged from the surface, "MARLIN!!" flying higher, but falling faster toward them. Dory was practically unable to protest out of fright by her terrified scream as they were about to fall back into the water, toward a shiny, sharp hook! 

"Hey Sherman! Look! Reef fishes!" the man on the boat hollered, pointing at the three fishes in the mid-air.

"Yeah, I know." An aged man on a familiar boat answered. "You know, the last time I came here, I caught a cute clownfish."

"Yo! I caught something!" the other man interrupted as he pulled on his fishing rod.

"Good for you. Well, he lived for a couple of days, but the poor little fella' died before I could give it to my sweet little niece."

The man reeled in his catch. "Whoa! Hey, a big one, eh! Look!" Proudly he presented his catch to his partner.

"Heh! Would you look at that," poking at the fish on the hook, "for a moment, I thought you caught a clownfish or a regal blue tang or something alike. I didn't expect you being able to get a hold of a barracuda!" He chuckled.

"It's all good, either way!" he snapped back.

Under the water surface beneath the boat, Marlin signed, exhausted, yet surprised at how he was able to pull it off. "I didn't expect that to go well...." When they jumped out of the water with the barracuda close on their tail, they were definitely going to land on the hook. Fortunately they fell beside it while the fish behind them, due to its size, was big enough to get caught up in the hook. 

Finally, Marlin and Dory were allowed a moment of rest. Dory was just a couple of inches away from him, but what surprised Marlin was the fact that she was able to keep her balance by herself. "Dory! Are you okay?" Marlin asked her while panting for water. She nodded quietly, still breathing heavily. He noticed how Dory had her face covered with her fins, as well as her trembling body. "Were you—are you scared?" he swam closer to her, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I made you go through this," she was still shaking. A wave guilt just washed over him. "Oh, Dory…..I'm sorry, really."  He searched for more words to apologize, but nothing seemed to come out. 

Dory peeked on him.  The moment she lightly lifted her fins, she couldn't ignore the concerned look on Marlin's face. 'Is he's worried about me?'

'The anemone's poison must be still hurting her. She doesn't seem to be okay, maybe I should just—' 

"PHEW!" Dory burst out in her lively voice, nearly startling Marlin half to death. Dory swam in circles, performing some thrilling loops like she was riding a rollercoaster, "That was a close one!" Marlin just stared at her, awestruck, "What's the matter? Catfish got your tongue?" She teased. Marlin was speechless, yet relieved at the same time. Strangely enough, Dory had this unique ability of being able to recover quickly. Was it really okay?

"No-no! Uh," Just to be sure that she was fine, Marlin swam up to her, "aren't you feeling sick?"

"Nope! Not at all!" she flipped half a loop. "I feel great, thanks to you!" Dory sweetly smiled, which he returned with a shy smile. 

"Are you sure?" Marlin tilted to the right swimming closer to her, "I mean, you're not feeling nauseous or anything?" he checked up on her with worry written all over his face, "honest?"

"Uh-huh!" 

 "Nothing's bothering you at all?"

"Yep!"

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"You positive?" 

"I'm positive."

"Because you know, I mean you—"

"Marlin…."

"Okay, okay I'm just checking, " ^^o he looked away, feeling embarrassed.   
"You're worried about me aren't you?" Dory asked softly. 

Marlin gulped. Neither Dory nor Marlin realized the little distance between them, until now. "Well," he began nervously. 

"Maybe there is something, "she replied idly.

"Huh?" She placed her fin beneath her mouth, a little upset. 

"You still need to tell me," Marlin perked up confused, "something important?" her face shined with that sweet innocence again.

'Oh, that's right,' he nervously laughed, "Guess who's having short-term memory now?" she giggled, while he frowned, 'I still need to tell her, ' Marlin had a hard time facing Dory. He ended up looking at her and then staring off somewhere else, "Um, Dory, about what happened two nights ago, I—"

'There's no way you could be that clownfish, who said he hated me,' she patiently listened, 'and didn't want to see me anymore. That clownfish couldn't be the same fish who just saved me, "Marlin had his fin rub against his cheek. "That wasn't you, right? " Dory hoped she was right. 'Please tell me, it wasn't you….'

"What I mean to say is…," Dory's face just turned pale blue. Surely it wasn't because of what he said, but because of what? She had that horrified look on her like she was going to die. Marlin wondered what was wrong, until his own face turned white for realization. He had just discovered his grave mistake….

Before he had any time to react, Marlin felt a shot of pain jolting his body. Dory froze for a moment. The second barracuda viciously yanked on Marlin's tail, whipping and twisting the poor clownfish about! Dory grasped in fear, until she was able to break from her shock and rushed to help him. "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" he yelled, tying to free his tail out of its teeth. 

"You big bully!" Dory ram into the barracuda's eyes, "Let GO of him!" It shrieked loosening its catch from its teeth. In just a matter of seconds, the burly tail of the barracuda swung towards them, smacking the two unconscious and catapulting Marlin and Dory into the depths of the ocean….

***I owe you all the favor since I've slacked off SO many darn times and ended with a cliffhanger. Here ya go! A longer chapter! ^___^***

 'How could I be so stupid?!' Marlin cursed under his breath, 'How could I forget about the other barracuda!?' He writhed on the ocean floor, wincing at the soreness of his tail. 'Dory,' before he opened his eyes, "UGH! YUCK!" Marlin's nose literally screamed when he breathed in the nasty stench given off from the field of sponges that surrounded them. The odor was so intense, so unbearable even predators choose to keep their distance. "Dory, is she okay?!" Not too far away from him was Dory, unconsciously laying sideways on one of the soft sponges around them. Marlin feebly pressed his fins against the ground, pushing him up only to fall back down again. It hurt. His tail stung like a needle on the side of his stomach. He groaned in frustration. These sponges reeked of rotten flesh, that's precisely how Marlin felt like right now, simply awful, not because of his wound, but because of everything that happened in all of his life, where he was always the one to be blamed……

~*~*~

_"Coral, get inside the house," an all too familiar predator keenly had its eyes on the beautiful, yet tasty female clownfish. "No. No! The eggs will be fine," Marlin assured his wife, 'Please Coral, listen to me…,' but Coral shifted toward the eggs, to the barracuda, then back to the eggs inside the small cave, hesitating on what to do. "You, get inside," Marlin begged Coral, "right now!" before disaster struck._

~*~*~

'I wished you had listened to me!'

~*~*~

_The moment his wife bravely went for the eggs, the barracuda darted straight for Coral."NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"  Marlin desperately dashed toward the oncoming fish to protect her, but to no avail, he was flung against a rock, turning his world pitch black, _

_'I never realized death was so close…'_

_Night time has fallen, by the time he regained consciousness, "Coral?" Marlin anxiously searched the cave for the eggs. A cold shower of terror kept whipping the back of his mind, "Coral?!" Telling him that she was gone….._

 _'how death took you away from me……'_

~*~*~

'I was wrong. It wasn't your fault. You were eaten because of me. You died because I couldn't stop your death! Had it not been for me choosing such a dangerous location, you would be alive today. You'd be here……in my fins…….alive….. 

~*~*~

_ ('Marlin…….')_

_"Oh Coral….." Marlin sobbed alone in the night of the ominous sea._

~*~*~

"You sacrificed your life for the eggs, for Nemo……"

~*~*~

_ "I don't have the slightest idea what has gotten into you, but I would have never thought," Gill shook his head in utter disbelief,"you would go this far—"_

_ "Daddy! Help me!!" Nemo pleaded, while the jellyfish continued zapping him. Marlin just floated there, emotionlessly starring at Nemo. "How…..how could you….?" '….daddy……,' a single tear escaped Nemo's eyes before the tentacles covered them, turning everything around him dark….. _

_"To go as far as MUDERING YOUR OWN SON!!!!"_

~*~*~

"It can't be! I would NEVER let Nemo die!" Gill's remark kept stabbing his mind, "It wasn't me!" While Nemo's frail cry echoed in the distance, "NEMO?!"

~*~*~

_"Are you….in love with someone else?" Darla kept observing Marlin's action," Someone other than a clownfish?" _

~*~*~

"Dory……" everything was taken away from him, now only Dory remained. Marlin began floating over to the blue tang, 'Everything I have done just made it even worse! I only meant to protect them! Not to bring them down to their demise!' Did it have to cost him the lives of his wife, children and Nemo to realize the importance of someone dear to him?! "How? How can this all be happening?!" he felt like sweat was running down his forehead. "Everything before was just fine two days ago!" Marlin gently took her fin, "Dory, please!" She began mumbling gibberish half-conscious. "I--I don't know if you really remember what happened two nights ago," 

~*~*~

_"Listen. I don't know you! And I don't plan on seeing someone who can't even remember to stick to her own kind!"_

~*~*~

"and I wish you didn't, " Marlin regretted everything he had said to her….."I-I don't even know if you can hear me now, but—," he shut his eyes in attempt to force the words out of him, he had to admit everything now, "but that wasn't the real me!" At that exclamation, Dory's head turned to him, half-awake, with her confused, yet saddened tears of amnesia. "It was a fake, Dory! That clownfish was just me pretending to be someone else!" There was little reaction from her. It took her a while to process what Marlin was trying to tell her, "Please don't leave me….I can't bear losing another fish dear to me…...don't leave me, " he searched her sleepy crimson eyes, "….hear me out, just long enough," he lightly brushed her face, smiling weakly, "before I can't tell you anymore …." 

Dory had that hurtful look on her, just like Nemo's at that time when Marlin rejected him. He wasn't even sure if she remembered him, if she was conscious, if she was still the Dory he knew and if she could ever forgive him. But Dory would come to hear his side of the story…. 

~*~*~

_"Dad," Nemo could hear Sheldon, Tad and __Pearl_ laughing at him. It was embarrassing being hugged in public, "Dad, you can let go now."__

_ "Oh! Oh sorry!" Marlin released Nemo. It was just like any other school day Nemo was getting ready to join the rest of his classmates with Mr. Ray for another round of exploring and after that was time for summer vacation._

_"Bye, Dad!" shouted Nemo as he departed with the rest of his class for a hike in coral forest._

_"Bye, son!" Marlin waved, "I'll pick you up later!"_

_"Ok! I'll bring you something from the forest!"_

_"Please be safe," he whispered and watched Nemo disappear into the ocean._

_ ~*~*~_

"This is how it all started…." Dory continued staring into his eyes, not really understanding his story.

~*~*~

_Marlin was on his way home, "I better go remind Dory that we'll be leaving for the "beach" today.  After all, we don't want to leave her behind." He changed course to Dory's tunnel, but then remembered she was probably going over to his place for a talk. There was something he had to tell her, something he had promised to himself that he should admit to Dory. Marlin felt a little nervous all of the sudden, "Weird…" he shrugged it off and proceeded ahead. _

~*~*~

'Admit?' Dory was confused, "There was something you had to tell me before this?'

"Then, I met her….." she squinted at the enthusiasm of "her."

~*~*~

_Upon arriving at his anemone, Dory was no where to be found. "Hmm, maybe she did forgot about today, " he swam around, but when Marlin  turned around the corner, he stopped dead, his breath stopping in a halt._

_"Hi Marlin," A familiar, yet notorious female clownfish greeted him. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to give me a hug?" He didn't move. Marlin was stunned, shocked to see HER, the one female fish he had hoped to never see again. She itched in closer on him. "Awe, don't be like this," passing by him and cuddling Marlin by surprise. He immediately swam off to the other side of the anemone, shocked by her presence. _

_"Darla?! Why are you—!!"_

_"Why am I here, you ask?" she finished for him, he slowly nodded. "Do you think you can just swim off to the __Great Barrier Reef__ without even saying good-bye to me?!" Darla yelled. He shrunk back into a corner. "Are you trying to get rid of me?!" She blurred out in exasperation. "Remember this, you will be my mate!" _

_Marlin shoved his politeness aside and regained his courage, enough to retaliate, "That is not to be decided by you!"_

_"Oh, really?" she implied sarcastically and pinned Marlin down against the anemone floor. "Did you forget that it was because of ME, you were able to mate my sister in the first place?!" Marlin shoved Darla off of him._

_"I may have met Coral, because she's your younger sister," she kept glaring at him, " and I may be in debt to you," refusing to accept his reason, "but that doesn't give you the right to—" *SMACK!* Darla tail whipped Marlin across the face.._

_"To what?!" Darla screamed. "What about me?!" Tears began flowing freely, while Marlin remained staring off to the side somewhat feeling guilty, "Have I ever been granted anything in my entire life?!" _

_"Darla—" Marlin attempted calming her, before she burst out, _

_"I love you, Marlin! Doesn't that mean anything?!"_

~*~*~

"and then….?" Dory was transfixed at those words, scared to hear more, yet curious about Marlin's reaction, "what…what did you say?"

~*~*~

_"I'm sorry, Darla." he replied more like an excuse than apology, "You very well may be Coral's older sister,"_

_"What does she have that I don't?!" Darla demanded, Marlin paused before watching the sunlight reflect on a piece of orange coral._

_"You? You're not like her," he turned to her, shaking his head at the difference between Coral and Darla, "You don't have the kindness and sweetness of your little sister," and began leaving._

_"Is that all?!" She exclaimed in disbelief._

_"Darla, you just can't go around forcing people to have your way!" Marlin told her straight into her face. "I'm not going to be your mate," she was silent. "That's for me to decide," he clearly stated. "I loved Coral more than anything before…..and I'm not going to forget her." he thought Darla understood Marlin now, _

~*~*~

"………." Dory was speechless, happy, but sad at the same time.

'Love is not something you go pick out from someone. Neither is it something you demand from them. It's something you desperately want to share with the one you trust the most. And vow to protect…..'

Dory was still confused, "This is where everything started, Dory," It was slowly getting harder for Marlin to breathe, "It's the cause of Nemo's death and your assassination attempt."

~*~*~

_He thought she would understand, but he was wrong, "Don't underestimate me," she hissed."If you won't become my mate," he ignored her, " then I can't guarantee the safety of your son!" This surely grabbed Marlin's attention. She smirked proudly after finding his ultimate weakness, "you heard me right!"_

~*~*~

"This is why I threw Nemo out! Had he returned home, I wouldn't know what she would have done to him! I'd rather have him stay away from here as far away as possible!" Dory listened in awe, "I had to pretend I disowned him! I had to hate him! It was the only way to keep Nemo away from Darla! But—" Marlin's anger leaked out from his dry, yet saddened cry, "but she killed him anyway!" Marlin dug his head into the ground, "If only I had thought of something more useful, Nemo wouldn't have—," he couldn't bring himself to finish the thought, "She lured Nemo into the jellyfish forest! She knew everyone would accuse me!" Dory was understanding Marlin's hidden objective now. The very reason to his cold hearted behavior toward everyone in the reef was because he was desperately trying to protect Nemo and……

"Then….?" She wondered, 

~*~*~

_"I'm glad you suffer from short-term memory," Marlin threw an acid look, "because right now, it would've been better for you to not have come here in the first place." _

~*~*~

"What about…..what about the things you said to me? What was—" 

"It's a lie……. I lied," he admitted, "I really wished you didn't come, that way Darla would've never known about you. As soon as she did, she was going to kill you next."

And Darla nearly succeeded in killing Dory, if Marlin had not intervened, but "Why me?" Dory questioned. "Why would she want to get rid of me?" Marlin didn't respond. If he was ever going to tell Dory, now was the time. 

"Darla. She swore to tear away everything that was precious to me," Dory was stunned. 

'Precious?' she was moved by what Marlin meant, "Am I—? Am I precious….to you?" he glanced at her innocent face, while she gazed into his soft eyes. Seconds passed, before he whispered, barely audible for Dory to hear, "Yeah……"

Silence was all that surrounded them. Neither Dory nor Marlin could respond. It felt strange, so awkward to stare at each other, yet everything seemed perfect, so right, there was no doubt they could trust their feeling. "Because you," he neared Dory's face, "you're as gorgeous as the orange sea coral…..I once loved……" and kissed her on the lips. 'It doesn't matter if you understand me, I hope you do, but all I ever wanted to do, was admit this;

Speechless, at first Dory was surprised by Marlin's move. She didn't know what to say, what to do, except eagerly accepting Marlin's tender kiss, "Dory……I love you," Dory was overjoyed. She could simply forget about every negative thing that happened to her in her whole life, because this confession meant everything to her. 

Dory could feel Marlin loosening the kiss, she didn't want it to end so soon. Every fish she met had abhorred her. She was called a freak, a lunatic, even he thought of her like that, but he stayed. Marlin stayed with her longer than anyone before him had ever done. She had to repay him, Dory broke the kiss, and now it was her turn to do so…….

"I like you, too….," she whispered nervously, blushing uncontrollably, "I-I adore you in every way. Your (unfunny) jokes, how much you care for—," she recalled instantly, "Ne-Nemo, and your pretty charm," Dory kissed him, "I like you very much….." tears swelling up her eyes as she leaned to the side against Marlin.

"I hope you understand now, Dory," his voice dripped of frailness, "It wasn't me, just the clownfish who vowed to protect you. So please remember…..,"

'Strange, somehow Marlin seems to be so sleepy, so tired….'

"I could never hate you……because when I look at you,' Marlin gazed into her eyes, "I see her staring right back at me, I see Coral's reflection smiling right back at me, " Marlin began breathing unevenly.

'So weak, like he is—!!' Dory grew white in horror upon spotting the red mist leaking out from Marlin's torn tail; the severely injured wound that was once caught by the jaws of the tenacious barracuda.

"But you…..you're Dory….you're too lively….too pure…..too innocent to be rejected…" Dory would give anything to say something in return, but no matter what she did, it wouldn't help her! Marlin was dying! And there was nothing she could do to stop it! All she could do right now, was holding him firmly in her fins.

~*~*~

_"…I want to see you….." Marlin stared at a small piece of blue coral. "…I really do.….."_

_ ~*~*~_

'Coral………I'm going to see you again…….you too, Nemo…I'm coming to see you again.' he collapsed in Dory's fins, 'farewell, my sweet Dory…I'm glad I had the chance to see you again….'

'Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!" His body slit through her fins, slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

'No matter what I did……… in the end….I hurt you. I'm sorry Dory.'__

"Ma-Mar—"

'If I stare any longer into her face……I may never forget Dory, ' more blood tainted the ocean water, 'so if I'm reborn again, then please let me be a regal blue tang……..'

"MARLIN!!!!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, I know………the worst way to end it. _ It was SOOOO DARN difficult to build up all the emotion in this chapter! Took me like FOREVER just to do that! This has to be my longest chapter EVER! Writing the end part was HARD!!!! GEEZ! I was always interrupted and constantly had to start over, because I screwed up so many times!! Enough complaints! ^^o

I hope I made up for the long wait. Again, I'm sorry for being such a lousy-lazy writer. ^^ And I also hope I was able to made you feel like I did when I was writing this chapter. I feel so bad  :sadyellow: for having done this now! WAAAAAHHH!!! *sobs*

This was the final chapter of "I See Her Reflection in You," unless wanna protest and change Dory and Marlin's fate! ^^o


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